Sewing machine



Feb. 17, 1942. G. SAUER ET AL SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l IIYNVENTORS I Gearge ,Sauez Z!- By Clarence-6152211172 V ATTORNEYS;

SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ITNESSES' 3 I a I IMNTOR5:&

' ear 2 auer BY L'Iaren c e LiSmiih,

' A TTORNEYS.

G; SAUER ET AL Feb. 17 2.

SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN W A TTORNEYS.

w v m E v z f I w mm m m Feb. 17, 1942. G. SAUER EFAL SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v WITNESSES:

Patented Feb. 17, 1942 George Sauer, Berwyn, and Clarence G.

assignors to Union Special Ma- Chicago, 11].,

Smit

chine Compan Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 5, 1938, Serial No. 188,836

9 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines; and it has reference more particularly to sewing machines of the type wherein the complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism is located below the work support and operated through a plurality of links, from rotary actuators on a revolving shaft. In the usual forms of such sewing machines, these rotary actuators are mounted upon or integrally formed on a horizontal shaft from which the needle derives its movements, said shaft being at a considerable height above the work support so that correspondingly long and relatively heavy link rods must be used to reach from said shaft to the complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism beneath the work support. Due to their length and weight, considerable vibration is set up by the momentum of the rods incident to their oscillation, as a result of which the speed of the machines is greatly limited.

Our invention has for one of its aims to obviate the above drawback, which objective we realize in practice as hereinafter more fully disclosed, through provision of a parallel countershaft at a level intermediate the needle-actuating shaft and the work support for operating the complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism. so that shorter, and hence lighter connecting links can be used, and through provision of rotary gears to connect the two shafts.

Another aim of our invention is to make it possible to utilize the gears in a structure such as outlined above as a pump to draw oil from a reservoir or sump for distribution to moving parts of the machine requiringlubrication, which objective we attain, as also hereinafter more fully set forth by suitably enclosing the gears and providing for conduction of the oil to and from the pump so formed.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, whereof Fig. I is a plan view of a feed of! th arm chain stitch sewing machine embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 11 is a view of the machine partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section.

Figs. III and IV are fragmentary detail sectional views taken as indicated respectively by the arrows III-III and IV-IV in Fig. I. K

Fig. V is a fragmentary detail section taken as indicated by the arrows V--V in Fig. II.

Fig. VI is a fragmentary detail section taken as indicated by the arrows VI-VI in Figs. 11 and V.

work support taken asindicated by the arrows III-IX in Fig. VHI, showing the complemen'tal V Fig. VIII is a detail section taken as indicated by the arrows VII-VII in Fig. II with a portion of the cover for the gear pump broken out.

Fig. VIII is a plan view of the work support of the machine with its covers removed. A

Fig. IX is a longitudinal sectional view of the stitch-forming and feeding mechanism and Fig. X is a cross section taken as indicated by the arrows X-X in Fig. IX.

The frame of the sewing machin herein mus-- trated for convenience of exemplifying our invention has af laterally projecting longitudinal tubular portion l', which is sustained at an elevation by an integrally formed bracket-like base 2. A neck 3 extending laterally from one end'of the elevated frame'portion I, terminates in ahead 4 which overreaches the corresponding free end of a hollow work support in the form of an arm 5, said arm constituting a detachable part of the machine frame and being connected at its opposite s end, by suitable fastening devices (not shown) to a hollow vertical frame portion 6 pendant from said longitudinal tubular portion. Guided for up and down movement in the head 4 is a bar 1 which carries a'pair of needles 8 at its lower end, said bar being reciprocated through the medium of a pitmanS from a balanced crank member Ill at the outer end of a shaft H journaled within said head. As shown in Fig. I, the shaft ll extends at right angles to a longitudinal shaft l2 within the elevated tubularframe portion I, from which longitudinal shaft it is driven through a pair of miter gears l3 and II. From Fig. III, it will be observed that the shaft II is supported for rotationin spaced bearings l5, l6 within the neck 3 of the. machine frame, and that said bearings and the miter gears 3, H are enclosed within a housing I! at the interior of the neck, said housing having a removable lid l8. The parts in the neck 3 are accessible upon removal of a cover member shown at 3a; The shaft II, which will hereinafter be referred to as the needle actuating shaft is journaled in suitably spaced bearings l8, I9, 20 and protrudes at the front end of the machine where it is provided with'a combined hand and belt wheel 2| so that the machine may be operated either manually or by power. The bearings I9, 20 are set into partitions 22, 28, which extend crosswise of, the elevated tubular portion I of the machine frame, the partition 23 being an upward continuation of the inner. side wall II of the vertical frame portion 6. Also 8 ided in the head I is a bar 25 whereto is aflixed' at the lower end a presser foot 26. By means of a leaf spring which is shown end-on at 21 in Fig. 11, the presser bar 25 is yieldingly depressed to hold down the material being sewed on the work .arm 8 as required. The space 28 between the I hinged lid 33.

The hollow of the work arm 8, see Figs. VI-VIII. is occupied by the complemental stitchforming and feeding mechanism of the machine, which mechanism is shown as being of the construction described and claimed in a separate patent application Serial Number 188,837, filed by us concurrently herewith. Briefly, this mechanism includes a pair of complemental stitchforming devices in the form of loopers 85 arranged to cooperate respectively with the needles 8. As shown, the loopers 88 are secured to the forward end of a shaft 16 which is journaled, with capacity for endwise shifting and for oscillation, in bearings 81, 88 and 88 within the work arm 8. The shaft 88 receives its endwise movements for communication of needle-avoidin movements to the loopers 85, through a link 48 which is pivotally connected at ll to a collar 2 confined axially between a pair of fixed collars 48 on said shaft, and which has an adjustable connection at 88 with the pendant slotted. extremity "a of a double arm rocker it secured to a transverse rock shaft 81 within the work arm I. The connection 45 is accessible for adjustment by removal of a screw plug 48 threaded laterally into one side of the work arm 8, see Fig. 11. oscillatory movements are imparted to the looper shaft 88 by connections later on explained, for communication of loop-taking movements to the loopers 88. through a crank arm 49 which is secured to the rear end of said shaft beyond the bearing 88. Mounted to rock about another transverse axis 58 within the work arm is a longitudinally-extending sleeve 5| which serves as a guide for a rod 52 having a head 83 at its outer end whereon a feed dog I is mounted. The rod 52 is reciprocated axially within the sleeve SI for impartation of horizontal to and fro movements to the feed dog 84 through a link 58 which has an adjustable" connection at 58 with the slotted upward extremity 46b of the double arm rocker 86, said connection 55 being accessible for adjustment upon removal of another screw plug 81 at a level above the screw plug 48. The sleeve 50 is rocked to induce up and down or lift movements of the feed dog 58 through action upon a rearwardly projecting arm 58 on said sleeve by connections also later on explained,

The improvements which we have made for reducing vibration in a sewing machine of the above character to a minimum are as follows:

Disposed within the hollow of the vertical portion 8 of the machine frame at a level between the needle actuating shaft i2 and the work arm 8 is a parallel countershaft 68 whereof the ends are joumaled in bearings BI and 82 respectively set into the opposite side walls 24 and 88 of said frame portion As shown the counter shaft 60 is driven from the needle actuating shaft II by a pair of intermeshing spur gears 68 and 66. Intermediate its bearings GI and 62, the countershaft 80 is formed with rotary actuators or cranks 81, B8 and 88, which, through links III, N and 12 extending downwardly within the hollow of the vertical frame portion into the rear end of the work arm 5, are respectively connected to the rearwardly projecting arm 58 of the sleeve ii, to a horizontal arm 13 of the rocker I6, and to the crank 48 at the rear end of the looper shaft 86. It is, of course, to be understood that the cranks 81-49 are sospaced angularly on the countershaft as to insure properly timed action of the loopers and of the feed dog 54 with respect to the movements of the needles 8. The construction just described obviously favors use of considerably shorter and therefore lighter connecting links as compared with connecting links which reach up to the needle actuating shaft as is the case in the usual forms of sewing machines of this class. It therefore follows that our improved sewing machine can be operated at higher speeds in view of the reduced weight and momentum of the links, with attainment of a correspondingly greater output of work from the machine.

In order that the gears ii, 66 may be utilized for the purpose of an oil pump, we have provided a conformative recess 18 in the inner face of the partition wall 24, into which recess said gears snugly flt; and have moreover closed said recess with a cover 16. This cover 16 is removably held in place by a tubular keeper 'II which has a threaded outer end portion engaged in a tapped hole I8 in the outer side wall '8 of the vertical frame portion 8. At its outer end, the keeper has a crosswise slot sothat a screw driver can be used to remove or to tighten it. The amount of oil pumped is regulatable by means of a stem 1! which occupies the axiaihollow of the keeper I1 and which has a threaded inner end engaging through a tapped hole 80 into the cover It, see Figs. 11, V and VI. At shown, the threaded end of the stem 18 projects into a by-pass recess 8f which is formed at the inside face of the cover I! and which overlies the region of tangency of the gears 68, '0. As shown in Fig. II, the stem 18 is formed with a slot 19a at its outer end so that a screw driver can be used in adjusting it to vary the size of the by-pass 82 and thereby regulate the capacity of the pump. Upon detaching a closure plate 88 secured by screws, whereof one is shown at 8 in Fig. II, within the recess at the outer side of the wall 68 of the vertical frame portion 8, access may be had to the keeper 1'! and to the stem 19 for the purposes of adjustment or removal. Also,.upon detachment of the closure plate 83, the bearing 62 may be withdrawn from its receiving opening in the wall '8,

said opening being large enough to allow of endwise withdrawal of the countershaft 60 after backing off the screw 85 by which the spur gear 66 is secured to said shaft. The hollow of the vertical frame portion 6 is accessible from above upon removal of the lid shown at 88 in Figs. I and H whereupon the pump cover 16 and the gears i5, 68 can be withdrawn subsequent to removal of the other .parts as above described.

During the operation of the sewing machine, the pump formed by the gears 65, 66 draws oil through a tube 81 which connects into the suction or inlet side of said pump at 88 (Figs. VI and VII) from a reservoir or sump 89 formed at the rear end of the work arm 8 in line with the hollow of the vertical frame portion 8, the bottom of said work arm being inclined downwardly and rearwardly to drain toward said sump. In this connection, it is to be noted that the screw plug 48 (Fig. II) is well above the level of the oil in the sump 88 so that oil leakage from the 75 machine and soiling of the work is precluded.

The oil lifted by the action of the pump from the sump 89 is delivered from the pressure or discharge side of said pump at 90 through a tube 9| which terminates above one of the rotary actuators 61-69 on the countershaft 60 and flows along said shaft, the excess dripping down onto the moving parts within the rear end of the -work arm and being finally collected in the sump. The distribution of the oil is enhanced by the rapid movement of the parts, which are thus all thoroughly and constantly lubricated. Some of this splashed oil moreover finds its way into the bearings 62 of the countershaft, and some of the oil circulated within the pump will seep into the bearing 6| as well as into the bearing 20 for .the needle-actuating shaft l2. Of course, if found desirable, branches may be connected into the pump discharge for delivery of oil to other parts of the machine. Leakage of oil outwardly past the bearing SI of the countershaft 60 is prevented by a plug 92 forced into the opening for said bearing in the wall 24. The moving parts within the head 4 are lubricated by the splash of oil which is lifted from a small sump 93 in the bottom of said head by the actlon of a scoop 8 at the lower end of the pitman 9. The housing for the miter gears is similarly formed at the bottom with a sump 95 from which oil is carried up by said gears to lubricate the inner bearing l5 for the transverse shaft II as well as the bearings l8, IQ for the needle actuating shaft l2. 7

Our invention is not to be considered as limited to the precise details of construction herein specifically shown and described since various modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims. Nor is its adaptation confined to the particular style of sewing machine chosen for convenience of illustration herein, since, it may be incorporated, with attainment of advantages in all respects equal to those hereinbefore pointed out, to flat bed and other types of sewing machines by resorting to changes within the province of mechanics skilled in the art.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a sewing machine a work support; a needle; a needle-actuating shaft; complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism; a parallel shaft from which said mechanism is actuated; a pair of spur gears connecting the two shafts and enclosed for the purposes of a gear pump; a by-pass in the region of tangency of the gears; a supply reservoir from which the pump draws oil; means whereby the oil is conducted from the pump to moving parts of the machine; and means whereby the size of the by-pass can be varied to regulate the capacity of the pump.

2. In a sewing machine a work support; a needle; a needle-actuating shaft; complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism; a parallel shaft from which said mechanism is actuated; a pair of spur gears connecting the two shafts and enclosed for the purposes of a gear pump; a by-pass in the region of tangency of the gears; a supply reservoir from which the pump draws oil; means whereby the oil is conducted from the pump to moving parts of the machine; and a screw member adjustable into and out of the by-pass to vary the size of said by-pass and thereby regulate the capacity of the pump.

3. In a sewing machine, a frame providing a hollow work support; a hollow longitudinallyextending elevated portion above said support,

and a hollow vertical portion connecting the arm and the work support; a needle-carrying bar guided for up and down movement in the elevated frame portion; complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism within the hollow of the work support; a horizontal shaft journaled within the vertical portion of the frame at a level between the needle shaft and the work support; a pair of intermeshing spur gears connecting the two shafts and confined within a cavity in the wall of the vertical connecting frame portion for the purposes of a gear pump; an oil reservoir within the hollow of the work support from which the gear pump draws oil; means whereby the oil is conducted from the gear pump to various moving parts of the machine; and means accessible from the exterior of the machine frame whereby the capacity of the pump may be regulated.

4. In a sewing machine, a frame providing a hollow work support; a hollow longitudinallyextending elevated portion above the work support, and a hollow vertical portion joining the work support and the elevated frame portion, one wall of the vertical frame portion being con tinued upwardly to form a partition across the hollow of the elevated frame portion; -a needlecarrying bar guided for up and down movement in the elevated frame portion; complemental stitch-forming means and feeding mechanism within the hollow of the work support; a needleactuating shaft extending longitudinally of the elevated frame portion and having a journal in the partition wall aforesaid; a parallel countershaft within the vertical frame portion from which the complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism is actuated, said counter shaft having a journal in the partition wall; a pair of intermeshing spur gears connecting the two shafts enclosed within a hollow in the partition wall forthe purposes of a gear pump; a reservoir within the hollow of the work arm from which the pump draws oil; and means whereby the oil is conducted from the pump to various moving parts of the machine.

5. ma sewing machine, a frame providing a hollow work support; a hollow longitudinallyextending elevated portion above the work support, and a hollow vertical portion joining the work support and theelevated frame portion, one wall of the vertical frame portion being continued upwardly to form a, partition across the hollow of the elevated frame portion; a needlecarrying bar guided for up and down movement in the elevated portion of the frame; complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism within the hollow of the work support; a needleactuating shaft extending longitudinally of .the elevated portion of .the frame and having a journal in the partition wall aforesaid; a parallel countershaft at a lower level within the vertical frame portion from which the complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism is actuated, said countershaft having a journal in the partition wall; a pair of intermeshing spur gears connecting the two shafts and fitting into a recess in the partition wall; a cover closing the recess to confine the gears for the purposes of a gear pump; a reservoir within the hollow of the work arm from which the gear pump draws 011; means whereby the oil is conducted from the gear pump to various moving parts of the machine; a tubular keeper bearing at one end upon the pump cover to hold it in place and secured at the other end within an opening in a wall of the vertical frame portion opposite the partition wall; and means whereby the capacity of the pump may be regulated, including an adjustable stem which extends inward through the tubular keeper and which has its inner end threadedly engaged in a tapped hole in the gear cover and projecting into a by-pass at the region of tangency of the gears.

6. In a sewing machine, a frame providing a hollow work support, a hollow longitudinally extending elevated tubular portion above said support; and a hollow vertical portion Joining the work support and the elevated frame portion; a needle-carrying bar guided for up and down movement in the elevated frame portion; complemental stitch-forming and feeding mechanism within the hollow of the work support; a needleactuating shaft extending longitudinally of the hollow of the arm; a parallel countershaft within the machine frame at a level between the needle shaft and the work support; link rods extending downwardly within the vertical hollow of the machine frame from rotary actuators onthe countershaft to operate the complemental stitchforming and feeding mechanism within the work support; a pair of spur gears connecting the two shafts and enclosed within a cavity in the machine frame for the purposes of a gear pump; an oil sump in the bottom of the work support from which oil is drawn by the pump; and means whereby the oil is conducted from the pump for discharge from above upon the rotary actuators on the countershaft.

'1. In a sewing machine, a frame including a component with a horizontal tubular portion having a needle head at one end and a hollow downwardly open depending portion at the other end, and a hollow horizontal work supporting component whereof one end communicates with the hollow depending portion of the first component and whereof the other end underreaches the needle head; needle operating mechanism on the head; a shaft from which the needle operating mechanism is operated extending lengthwise through the horizontal portion of the first frame component into the depending portion of the latter; feeding and complemental stitch-forming devices carried by the work supporting component of the frame; a second rotary shaft within the depending portion of the first frame component below and in parallel relation to the first shaft at a level intermediate the two com onents, from which the feeding and complemental stitchforming devices are actuated; gearing connecting said shafts; housing means within said depending portion enclosing the gearing for the purpose of a pump to draw oil from an underlying sump; and means for conducting the oil from the pump to parts within the frame requiring lubrication.

8. In a sewing machine, a frame including a component with a horizontal tubular portion having a needle head at one end and a hollow downwardly open depending portion at the other end, and a hollow horizontal work supporting component whereof one end communicates with the hollow depending portion of the first component and whereof the other end underreaches the needle head; needle operating mechanism on the head; a shaft from which the needle operating mechanism is operated said shaft extending lengthwise through the horizontal portion of the first frame component into the depending portion of the latteryfeeding and complemental stitch-forming devices carried by the work supporting component of the frame; a second rotary shaft within said depending portion of the first frame below and in parallel relation to the first shaft and at a level intermediate the two components, from which the feeding and complemental stitch-forming devices are actuated; gearing connecting said shafts; housing means within said depending portion enclosing the gearing for the purpose of a pump; an intake pipe leading from the sump to the pump and a discharge pipe leading from the pump to conduct oil to parts within the frame requiring lubrication:

9. A sewing machine according to claim 7, including means whereby the capacity of the pump may be regulated from the exterior of the frame.

GEORGE BAUER. CLARENCE C. SMITH. 

